Opinion: Why soaring Israeli morale over the war on Iran exposes deeper delusion
Who's excited about the US and Israeli war on Iran? As the Middle East is on fire, from Tehran to Manama, the Israeli weapons industry is licking its lips at the prospect of future sales to the Gulf states, many of which have recently taken direct hits from Iranian missiles and drones.
The Israeli defence sector has seen the vulnerabilities of Gulf nations and wants to rush in to exploit them.
"We have to honestly admit that, from the narrow Israeli perspective, the situation is not bad for us right now," a former senior defence official told the Israeli business outlet Calcalist.
The paper said that this man will travel to the Gulf after the war is over to sell new defence systems, missile defence shields and other weapons to war-weary Gulf governments. Israeli air defence systems have been deployed by Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan in this war.
Read more: Why soaring Israeli morale over the war on Iran exposes deeper delusion Opinion by Antony Loewenstein
An Israeli self-propelled howitzer fires towards southern Lebanon from a position in upper Galilee, northern Israel, on 15 March 2026 (Odd Andersen/AFP)